Snohomish high-schooler wins Edge of Amazing poster contest
Published 1:30 am Saturday, July 7, 2018
Forget that Jacob Lorelli is brand new to art.
His artwork should be the measure of his talent.
The 14-year-old Snohomish resident’s vibrant depiction of healthy and active lifestyles in Snohomish County won the poster contest for Edge of Amazing, which is a Snohomish Health Summit on Oct. 10-11 at the Tulalip Resort Casino.
Jacob, a 10th-grader at Glacier Peak High School, beat out 22 other entries for a $1,000 artists commission.
He said he was shocked that he was the winner.
“I definitely did not enter the contest expecting to win,” Jacob said. “I know at my school there are definitely kids who are better than me.”
The digital-art poster features fractal-like imagery of a runner, cyclist, kayaker and picnickers at a park near the Snohomish River. Autumn-colored trees, blue skies and a bridge over the river serve as the backdrop.
Jacob’s poster will promote the fourth-annual event hosted by the Providence Institute for a Healthier Community, meant to improve the health and well-being of Snohomish County residents.
Around 400 people from the private and public sectors — businesses, nonprofits, educational institutions and faith, tribal and government agenices — pool their resources to create action plans to initiate change.
Alison Christman, event coordinator for Edge of Amazing 2018, said the poster goes with theme of the event.
“Jacob’s work was selected because it reminded us of puzzle pieces coming together to create a big picture, similar to what Edge of Amazing represents, with different sectors coming together to accomplish something amazing,” Christman said in a press release.
Jacob used Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator to create the image, which he likened to stained glass designs. People weren’t included in his original idea. He added them when the park setting felt empty, he said.
He said he worked with a palette of autumn colors because the event is in October.
Jacob has only been dabbling in art for about a year. The poster was a culmination of everything he learned from a digital art class he took in his first semester at Glacier Peak.
“I’m definitely not a realistic art kind of guy,” Jacob said. “I can’t do drawings. I tried digital art, and it worked out.”
He considers his art a hobby and not a career path, but he’s happy it’s led to a big check.
Speaking of his winnings, he’s putting them to good use.
“I’ve already bought a bass guitar,” Jacob said. “Other than that, I’m saving up for a trip to Japan.”
Learn more about the upcoming event at www.edgeofamazing.org.
Evan Thompson: ethompson@heraldnet.com, 360-544-2999. Twitter: @evanthompson_1.
